10 Cool Jobs of the Week: Want to Get Paid to Play Video Games?

AP
We'd all like to think our jobs are cool. Maybe you work in an office, maybe you're in retail, or maybe you drive a Zamboni for a living, but even a quick scan of the classifieds will make it obvious there are cool jobs...and then there are cool jobs. We've compiled ten of the coolest, wildest, and downright strangest of them here. Sorry, Zamboni drivers of the world. We still love you.AP
1. Senior Food Scientist

What it is: If you're a Breaking Bad fan, you might remember the episode where a team of German engineers soberly presents its findings in the competitive field of fast food condiments. If you're just as serious about sweet-and-sour sauce, you just might have the makings of a food scientist. This listing includes key responsibilities like product formulation and the testing of alternative ingredients, so keep your goggles handy. It also requires 10+ years of experience, "preferably in the development and processing of tomatoes and tomato-based products." So be careful: you don't want to get pigeonholed as a tomato guy.

What it is: If you live in San Diego, you might recognize the SEAL boat: a blue, wedge-shaped bus-boat hybrid, emblazoned with a cartoon seal and populated by a hoard of smiling, waving families. The SEAL tour covers some of San Diego's most famous sights, culminating with the expected seals, sea lions, and cormorants of San Diego Bay. The SEAL Guide is someone who can keep a crowd relaxed and entertained, all while operating a "moving amphibious vehicle." Think about how much cooler your own job would be if you got to do it in something described as a "moving amphibious vehicle." Just look out for the pelicans--they get mad when they're hungry.

What it is: Remember that bit about how there's nothing cooler than a "moving amphibious vehicle?" Well, we take it back. When you're measuring relative vehicular coolness, nothing beats motorcycles. Delaware's Division of Motor Vehicles is seeking an instructor to conduct classroom sessions, evaluate rider performance, and "supervise range sessions." What? There are motorcycle ranges? Sign us up!

What it is: Everyone likes an elephant. They're like the Beyoncés of the animal world--no one ever has a single bad thing to say about them. But in Laos, the "Land of a Million Elephants," they're considered work animals, and breeding rates are dwindling as a result amidst poor treatment and bad conditions. Students in this specialized course will work closely with elephants suffering from injuries and infectious diseases, and emerge equipped to help reverse the fate of one of Laos's cultural treasures.

What it is: If you're a gamer, you know that most video games, like movies and television, are the product of an intense collaborative process. But who determines whether they're actually fun to play? Enter the game tester, a person whose job, literally, is to sit around playing video games all day. You'll test for bugs and defects, and provide valuable feedback up through the final ship date. It's a mobile gaming position, so you can take your work outside if you get antsy sitting in front of a screen all day.

What it is: Speaking of video games, did you ever play those old-school flight simulators when you were growing up? The kind where your keyboard corresponds to the control panel of an actual aircraft, and you have to wildly mash buttons just to get the thing off the ground? If you displayed more skill at these than we ever did, you might want to seek work as a remote pilot operator. As the point person for an air traffic control program, you'll digitally simulate real in-flight scenarios for your students, and assess them as they react on the fly...literally.

What it is: As the title suggests, sensory analysts are concerned with how we're affected by external stimuli, but this particular job is specifically focused on how we react to food. There's much more to food than taste alone, and this position requires a specialist who's equally attuned to mouth feel, odor, and appearance. You'll be analyzing human subjects as they test a range of "meat snack"-type products, and reporting your findings with the expected scientific exactitude. Must be comfortable working in close proximity to jerky.

What it is: File this one under the "delicious vices" column. MillerCoors, one of the world's most successful brewers, is seeking a beer expert to educate employees and support brew masters (which are kind of like wizards of beer). Anyone who's ever been to a brewery knows there's a lot more to making beer than tossing a bunch of ingredients into a vat, and this position requires the care, attention, and deep yeast-related knowledge that is crucial for brewing jobs. Seriously: you need to be really into yeast to succeed at this one.

What it is: Sleep technologists are health professionals who evaluate and treat patients suffering from sleep disorders. Sound dull to you? It's not. You may be watching someone sleep, but truly monitoring them means running a polysomnogram, documenting physiological events, and acting fast in the event of seizure or sleep apnea. Sleep technologists may not have gotten a lot of screen time on E.R., but that doesn't mean their occupation lacks drama. On the contrary; the listing warns that applicants "may be subject to stressful clinical situations."

What it is: Tell someone you're a coal miner, and they'll probably imagine a downtrodden, heavily smudged individual, grimacing as they descend into the earth by elevator. Tell someone you're a mining engineer, and they're more likely to picture you as an excited kid with an Erector set. In this position, you're won't be working in mines, but rather designing them. It's an architect-like role, where you'll be responsible for gas wells, proper ventilation, and creating your own vast underground kingdom. Also, free headlamps.